Community
volunteering
Volunteering for community support services let us bring new experiences and support to our community
Volunteering where it’s needed most
Volunteer for Rowan Alba’s Community and Residential Dependency Support (CARDS), and you can end the isolation of someone who has a problematic relationship with alcohol. All you need to do is have a regular conversation.  As you talk, you might also learn a lot about yourself from them.
About Rowan Alba
Rowan Alba is an Edinburgh-based charity which delivers a one-to-one, community and residential befriending service for individuals who have been affected by or continue to suffer damage from excessive alcohol consumption.
Support built around every individual
We do not prescribe to any recovery model, and we accept that our clients may continue to consume alcohol. We do not try to save, fix, or rescue and we do not tell people what to do. Rather we listen and support the individual and our work is person-centred. We believe that healthy relationships are vital to overall wellbeing and that everyone is entitled to an improved quality of life regardless of their circumstances.
A vehicle for positive change
We work with clients in the local community who are currently receiving little or no support in terms of their mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. We offer clients the support of a relationship with one of our volunteers and this becomes the vehicle to positive health and social outcomes.
How a volunteer can make a real difference to an isolated person
CARDS Volunteer Star regularly visits John creating positive change for them both
Community volunteering roles
Below are several ways you can become a Community volunteer for Rowan Alba. All of them can all open new skills and opportunities in your own life. Our volunteering programmes are designed to make a positive impact on real people, and the time commitment is only two hours a week.
NHS Hospital Link volunteer
Help us build links with people following a health crisis and reduce future hospital admissions
Mental Health Befriender
Get out in the community and build connections with isolated individuals and support our clients to improve their mental health
Art and Mental Health Befriender
Build on your befriending experience by using your creative side to share the experiences of our clients
NHS Alcohol Rehabilitation Unit Befriender
Befriend and support someone whilst they transition from rehab to back home
Peer Support Volunteer
Use your own lived experience of addiction and/or mental health to help others. We use peer support to bring people with shared experiences together to create positive change
Polish Speaking Befriender
Meet with a Polish speaking client once a week to provide social support
Events Volunteer
Support staff at our monthly CARDS events and outings making clients feel safe and welcome
Becoming a community volunteer is simple
Whether you are ready to jump in and start helping people now, or have questions use this form to get in touch with us. We will get back to you and help you get going.
NHS Volunteering opportunity
Hospital Link Volunteer
About this role
Rowan Alba matches Befriending Volunteers with people who have been admitted to hospital because of alcohol harm, past or present. The Volunteer visits them either in the hospital during their stay or when they are discharged and return home.
Important Information
- Interview, references and PVG required
- Full induction training provided
- Time commitment: 2 hours per week plus travel time for a minimum of 9 months`
If you would like to volunteer for this role, please use the form below. You can contact our Community Volunteer Co Ordinator Kiera directly at kiera.russell@rowanalba.org if you have any questions about the role and/or training.
How you become a community volunteer with Rowan Alba
Everything you need, step by step.
When you become a Communtiy volunteer for Rowan Alba, we have to take every precaution that you will be suited for delivering our vital service in a way which is safe for you and your client. This means that there is a step-by-step process to follow, these shouldn’t put you off. Click through the points below to find out what you need to do at each step. Applications will be acknowledged via email. In the meantime, you can familiarise yourself with the whole process below.
STEP 1: Download, complete & return the Application Form
Our application form should only take you a few minutes to complete. You can download it from the link below. You should read the Person Specification and Role Description before you complete and return your application form.
Send your completed Application Form to cards@rowanalba.org
References should cover the last two years and if possible, include a recent employer. Where the applicant has not been in employment, other options for professional references should be considered e.g. college, school, other voluntary placement etc. Please do not include family members or their partners or persons under 18.
STEP 2: Have an interview
Once we have received your application form, we will be in touch to interview you. We will do this by calling you or emailing you to check when you are free. The interview is a series of questions that we ask so that we can bring up topics of conversation that will give you a better idea of what you need to know about us and about the role.
Our main aim of the interview is to make sure you go away with more information than you came with and so you know enough about us to decide if our values match yours. For ease, fairness and transparency, you can download the interview questions below.
Download
STEP 3: PVG
We will process your PVG after your interview is complete.
What is a PVG?
Don’t worry, we get asked this all the time! Protecting Vulnerable Groups is a way of making sure that only the right people are able to support vulnerable people.
All we need from you at this stage is to email us at cards@rowanalba.org with the following 5 pieces of information:
- 1 photographic ID – Passport or Driver’s licence are perfect, so long as they have not expired
- 1 proof of address – a letter from the Council, Bank, Voter’s Registration, NHS letter, etc. as long as it’s from a recognised source and dated within the last 3 months
- Your date-of-birth. This may not be on the ID you provide
- Your preferred title – Ms, Miss, Mrs or Mr
- Whether you are joining the PVG Scheme for the first time or if you have had a PVG membership before.
You can take photos of your proof of address and ID with your mobile and email them to us to process your PVG.
Disclosure Services will then send out an email with a link to complete the process within 7 days before the link expires. They ask a couple of questions to verify the information sent. You will be required by them to do one of the following steps before completing your application.
- Create a ScotAccount and verify your ID upon receiving the application link.
- Log into your existing account to verify your ID before completing the application.
Your PVG Scheme Certificate will be sent to you electronically where you then can log in to your account and click to share the results with our organisation. Any help you need with the form just let us know. We have completed hundreds and can help you complete if necessary.
STEP 4: References
We will now be checking your references so please contact them to let them know you have put their name down and to expect communication from us. This is typically where we see most of the delays to getting people started so all you can do to move this along is appreciated.STEP 5: Preparing for your Volunteer Induction – edited version below
Following your interview, we will move on to your volunteer induction. The first stage is simply clinking on the link below which will take you to the induction page. We ask that you take the time to read through the volunteer documents and policies. We will be watching the Johan Harri video during the induction so feel free to miss that one out.
STEP 6: Volunteer Induction
During your Volunteer Induction we invite you to a 3-hour session, which usually takes place in person. Here we will welcome you to the CARDS service, explain how the organisation and service works, and talk about topics relevant to your volunteering including: Trauma Informed Practice, Active Listening, Boundaries and Appropriate Sharing. We also give you a bit of context to the documents you have downloaded by talking you through some real-life scenarios. Again, they are available to download now should you wish to prepare.
STEP 7: Start volunteering!
There are a few final forms that you need to download, sign and return to us before we can match you with a suitable person. You can download these below.
We can only match you up with a service user once you share your approved PVG back from Disclosure Scotland. Our fully qualified staff will stay in contact with you throughout and answer any questions you might have. This process can take some time from start to finish. So please be patient as we try to find a service user to match you with.
Downloads
Ongoing supervision and learning support
As a Community Volunteer you will have the opportunity to attend at least one group support and supervision session a month as part of your role. These take place on the last Wednesday or Thursday evening of the month 6pm to 8pm at our office in Fountainbridge. We tie these sessions in with different training themes and reflective practice to support your ongoing learning and development. These are optional to attend, however we do ask that you attend at least two a year. You will also have a one-to-one support and check in session with a staff member every 6 months. Staff are available for one off one to ones on request.